A Noble Journey begins...

A few of us had an idea of doing something for the community surrounding our campus.  We did ask around and got six prospective locations of which one stood out as a clear winner.  Universal Peace Foundation located sixteen kilometres away from our college was the place we decided to dedicate our time and efforts.  We saw more than sixty children who were eager to learn but lacked the resources and the contacts.  We decided to teach English and which is such an important prerequisite in the modern world.  The Universal Peace Foundation is spread across ten acres of land.  It has a total of 194 residents, the ages of the residents varies from nine months to ninety four.  Just being there filled us with joy which words fail to describe.  We divided the work amongst us these are our experiences after the second successful class:

From the Organizer:

The prospect of managing a full fledged project has been an amazing experience.  As a group we had made a lot of promises, the pressure was into fulfil them.  I am lucky to be surrounded by a group of dedicated friends who made my job a lot easier.  In order to establish this feat a plan was devised in which what is to be done for ten weeks was decided.  Then a check list was made by which I could keep track of things.  The important tasks were to coordinate with the students who would be teachers to prepare the course material, to ensure the finance people got the data they needed, to make sure enough materials were procured by the team and finally to make sure that the vehicles are on time. 

From the Finance dept:

CSR was started by a group of 10 members, who voluntarily came forward to render their services on behalf of JSB.  One of the significant aspects is that, we had full cooperation and support from all the faculties in JSB especially our management which is ready to help us in all regards.

We have a separate finance department which looks after all the financial issues related to this activity.  We the members of the finance department take care of all transactions pertaining to this activity.  We keep a record of the incomes, expenditres and all other transactions.Accounts are recorded with utmost care and they are meticulously prepared. This not only gives a clear picture of the entire financial position of the committee, but also helps to have a quick glance of the funds involved. Stringent rules and regulations help our department to function effectively and efficiently.

From the eyes of the students who teach:

Today English education is one of the prerequisites for the entry into any profession.  When the economically better children have the opportunity for a good English education, there still are children with the thirst for English education, but lack the opportunity to receive it.   We started off by teaching them the basics of English, which would definitely be of help to them.

This indeed was a fantastic experience.  This was the first time we stood at the other end of the classroom.  We were no more the listeners, but the teachers.  In front of us sat a whole lot of 'students' genuinely interested in all that we said.  Every time we spoke a sentence in English, we could see the gleaming eyes, demanding for more.  They were receptive to every word that comes out of the teacher. We were immediately accepted as one among them.  I should also make a mention of the learning we had.  We shared with them our knowledge in English and expected nothing in return.  But, each day we spent with them, we are creating memories.  They taught us another aspect of life.  Each day they teach us how to be happy, just with what we have, without cribbing over what we don't have.  They show us how to aim for better things and to work towards it.  The enthusiasm they show is contagious.  We carry it with us every time we leave the place, together with the love and affection and the hope to be there the next week.

CSR - Women's Self Help Group

An idle mind is a devil's workshop.  The CSR team aimed at not only educating the children but to also enable the women working there to use their free time in a useful manner and provide them with a source of income by teaching and training them in making handicraft products.
We the first product we trained the women is to make paper bags.  With a mixture of enthusiasm and apprehension, we sat down to teach the women to fold paper according to required dimensions to perfection.  Soon, their mood changed from observation to active participation.  We left them materials required for them to practice to make more bags.
Teaching them to express their creativity with a brush in hand would be tricky since most of them were used to the task of cooking and cleaning or so we thought.  But, they mastered the art pretty fast and were eager to experiment more and learn.  And the audience of interested small children kept them encouraged.
Our plans included teaching the women to paint simple designs on these bags that would make them attractive and marketable.  Each time we leave with promises to return to teach them more interesting skills.

The CSR team will market these handmade bags and reach the profits to them for their betterment.

Team Members:

Teachers:
Megha Mary Michael
Vijayalakshmi Natarajan

Finance:
Abhilash A
Amarjeet

Self Help Group:
Sree Vidya
Anjana A. John
Ruchi K

Materials Procurement:
Rupesh C
Rupesh D
Rajeev V

Organizer:
Arjun R Nair

Guide:
Prof. Renuka R

Corporate Social Responsibility